General information

In order to load Reset Windows Password, you may need to adjust your computer's BIOS/UEFI settings to make the boot device (CD, DVD, or USB) first on the list of devices. This is the routine to follow for that:

When booting the computer, press the DEL key to enter the BIOS menu. Some versions of BIOS use other hotkeys; those could be F2, F10, F11, ESC, etc. The hint is normally displayed at the bottom of the boot screen.

Enter the BIOS/UEFI, then on the menu find the item that's in charge of the initial boot devices. Edit it to make the CD or USB with the Reset Windows Password first on the list.

Make sure to have saved the changes and then reboot the computer.

If your PC uses UEFI firmware, you can use fast boot selection switch without altering any settings. For more information, please refer to your computer’s motherboard user manual.

Setting up BIOS/UEFI, questions and answers

Q: My computer's BIOS has several items for booting from USB devices: USB FDD, USB ZIP, USB HDD, USB CDROM. Which one should be selected?

A: Different BIOS manufacturers set up the initial boot in different ways. In the majority of cases, to boot from a regular flash: on old motherboards, you would need to select the USB ZIP option; on new ones - USB HDD.

Q: The application takes too long (sometimes up to 10 minutes) to boot from USB media.

A: That indicates that the device runs over the slow USB protocol, 1.1. First, the storage device must support the 2.0+ specification. Second, the USB port in the motherboard where you plug the storage device must support the 2.0 specification. And third, you must enable the USB 2.0 support in the BIOS.

A: If you have two or more USB devices plugged into the computer (eg. UPSes, printers, scanners, modems, etc.), leave only one bootable USB disk. Unplug the USB device from the computer, turn the computer off, plug the USB device into a different USB port, turn your computer on and attempt to boot again. If that didn't help - update your BIOS.

Q: Blue or black screen during program load or all kinds of driver, registry load, etc. errors occur when booting from CD or USB.

A: Maybe your computer does not have sufficient memory. The minimum required by the application is 1 GB RAM. To run it with comfort, you would need 2 GB or more.

Q: A error pops up which states that the CPU does not support 64-bit mode or running 64-bit applications.

A: Reset Windows Password does not support 32-bit CPUs any longer. Contact tech. support to get a link for the latest 32-bit compatible version.

Q: Can I be able to boot a BIOS compatible CD/USB in UEFI?

A: Yes. Enter your UEFI settings (press ESC, F2 or DEL). Open 'Boot' menu and enable 'Launch CSM' option. Now locate the 'Security' tab and disable 'Secure Boot Control'. Save changes and reset your PC. Enter the UEFI setup once again and make sure your DVD/USB drive is available under the 'Boot' tab. Some UEFIs also have a boot device menu (it is usually launched by hitting F8) where you can select your boot device and mode.

Q: Can I create a USB drive that will be able to boot in both BIOS and UEFI?

A: Yes. Run the IsoBurner tool and select 'Max possible compatibility' partition scheme when creating a bootable USB. This mode creates bootable USBs that can run on both BIOS- and UEFI-based computers (with Compatibility Support Mode is turned on). On some PCs or laptops, the Compatibility Support Mode is also known as Legacy Boot Mode.

Q: USB is not listed as a boot option in my UEFI. How can I enable booting for a USB stick?

A: Seems that the USB was formatted either to BIOS or UEFI CSM mode but your UEFI allows booting in Secure Boot mode only. You will have to allow booting in legacy mode. In your UEFI settings disable both 'Boot - Fast Boot' and 'Security - Secure Boot' and enable 'Compatibility Support Module (CSM)' or similarly worded options. Another workaround would be just creating a bootable USB using 'Max compatibility with new PCs (FAT32 MBR for UEFI)' scheme. This scheme is fully compatible with UEFI Secure Boot mode.

Q: Can't get into my BIOS. A password required.

A: An unpleasant surprise can watch for you when you try to modify the boot device settings in BIOS. The matter is that some hardware manufacturers, sellers or previous owners of the PC may have set their own passwords for accessing BIOS. In other words, in order to modify BIOS settings, you would need to enter that password, which usually is not possible to find out.
Some versions of BIOS allow resetting their settings by pressing a certain key on the keyboard; normally that's Ins. For some type of AMI BIOS, it is a Ctrl+Alt+Del+Ins combination. On AWARD BIOS, the key is to be pressed and held down until the computer is turned on. That will load the default settings. However, this option is to be used extremely carefully, as it resets all other settings of the BIOS.
Also, there are universal back-door passwords. They are provided below for many popular versions of BIOS. If you don't know it, BIOS type and version is normally displayed for a few seconds during the initial boot of the computer at the bottom of the screen.
If none of the universal passwords has worked out, you can take advantage of the method described in many motherboard user manuals: simply reset BIOS settings by shorting the respective jumper. It is normally located near the large CMOS battery. If the motherboard doesn't have a CMOS battery, find the microchip with the Dallas or Odin marking; the jumper must be somewhere nearby. Simply removing the CMOS battery doesn't always help, as the BIOS microchip can live for several hours without the power. Also, you are highly discouraged from shorting the CMOS itself for resetting BIOS settings, as that may cut the battery life essentially.
On the Net, you can find a number of software solutions for recovering passwords and resetting BIOSes. For example, cmospwd and killcmos. You are highly discouraged from resetting all BIOS settings in laptops. That may lead to the complete halt of the system.